Apparatus for manufacturing coke and gas.



No. 680,79l. Patented Aug. 20, 1901. w. J. KNOX. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COKE AND GAS.

LApplic-ntion filed Mm. 9, 1901.3

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No Model.)

1m far m: norms sevens p0. morauruo. wAsMmsmN, D4 c.

No. 680,791. Patented Aug. 20, I90l. W. J. KNOX.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COKE AND GAS.

(Application filed Mar. 9, 1901.)

2 Sheets-:Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

M- Ab y THE uonms Pzrzns co. PHOTO-LWHQ. WASHXNETON. u. c.

lineman dramas Parent @rrrcn.

WILLIAM JOHN KNOX, OF EDGEWOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE l/VESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COKE AND GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,791, dated August 20, 1901.

Original application filed April 21, 1900, Serial No. 13,708. Divided and this application filed March 9, 1901. Serial No. 50,416. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J OHN KNOX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Coke and Gas, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing coke and gas, the objects be ing to apply economically the heat energy necessary to carry on the coking operation and to secure as a product the gaseous hydrocarbons of the coal in an undiluted state. The general plan of the invention is to pass the hydrocarbon vapors generated in the coke-ovens through suitable stoves in which more or less of the heat carried by the vapors is conserved or stored, thence through cooling 2o devices-such, for instance, as a steam-generator-and thence into heatingstoves, where the temperature is raised to the degree required for affectively acting upon the coal to reduce it to coke. These heated vapors are then passed into the coking-ovens and usually across the top of the bed of coal or coke. This operation is continued until the stove which has been employed as the heat-absorbing stove has absorbed and stored a predetermined amount of sensible heat, whereupon the direction of circulation is reversed and this stove is utilized as the heating-stove and the former heating-stove as the heat-absorbin g stove, and this operation of reversal is repeated continuously at suitable intervals as long as the temperature of the stoves is sufficiently high to conduct the coking operation. Additional stoves may be employed, so that any stove which has previously been used as described and its temperature reduced thereby may be cut out of the circuit and further heated by the consumption of fuel therein to restore its condition as a heating-stove. The invention involves certain other features, all of which will be more particularly described in connection with the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a system for carrying out the invention; and Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in sec-' tion, of the same.

Referring to the figures, 2 2 2 represent coking-ovens of any suitable form. In the drawings they are shown as having pipes 3 and 4, respectively connected with the upper portions at opposite ends. The pipes 3 ter minate in a common pipe 5, suitable valves 6 being interposed in the pipes 3. The pipe 5 is shown as being connected with pipes 7 and 8, leading to stoves or superheaters 11 and 12, respectively. The stoves 11 and 12 are respectively connected by pipes 9 and 10, containing suitable valves 13 and 14, with a pipe 15, leading to a steam generator or boiler of any suitable character 16. This boiler or steam-generator may be of any of the usual well-known forms of boilers or steam-generators-sueh, for instance, as the ordinary vertical-tube boilerthe hot gases passing through the tubes and the water passing around them, or it may be of. the watertube type-that is to say, one in which the water is within the tubes, the hot gases passing around them. It will be understood that the function of the boilers is to conserve the heat to a greater or less extent by abstracting it from the circulating gas after it has passed out from the cold end of the stove, and by thus cooling the gas before it enters the cold end of the other stove the cold end of that stove is prevented from attaining too high a temperature. The steam generated may be utilized in and about the plant in any desired manner. The boiler 16 is connected by a pipe 17 with one terminal of a suitable blower 18. This blower may be of any convenient character. In the drawings I have indicated a rotary blower, to the opposite sides of which are connected pipes 47 and 48, the pipe 48 being that one with which the pipe 17 is connected, Fig. 2. The pipe 17 is connected with a pipe 19, leading to a boiler or steamgenerator 20, which is similar to the boiler 16. The pipe 21 leads from the steam-generator 20 to two pipes 22 and 23, respectively, containing valves 24 and 25 and connected 5 with stoves or superheaters 26 and 27. Pipes 28 and 29 connect these superheaters with a pipe 30, from which the pipes 4 lead to ovens 2. Suit-able valves may be included in the pipes at. The stoves 11 and 12 may be con- 10o nec ted through pipes'31 and 32 wit-h a chimney 33, suitable valves 34 and 35 being provided for controlling these connections. Similar pipes 36 and 37 and valves 38 and 39 control the connections of the stoves 26 and 27 with a chimney 40. The blower 18 is provided with an offtakc-pipe 41, provided with a valve 42.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: One or more of the stoves is or are first heated-as, for example, the stove 27-by burning therein fuel-such, for instance, as gas admitted through an injector 46, which is connected by a pipe 45 with the holder 43, the injector being suitably placed in the base of the stove. The valve 39 in the pipe 37 is at this time open, so that the products of combustion may escape through the chimney 40.

When the stove 27 has been heated to a sufficient temperature, the burning of gas in the stove 27 is stopped, and the blower 18 is operated in such direction as to cause a circulation of air through the pipes 47 and 19, boiler 20, pipes 21 and 23 (the valve 25 being opened and the valve 24 closed) to the stove 27, where the air is heated. The passage of the air through the boiler 20 at this stage is merely for convenience, the boiler forming'a a part of the circulating-path. The valve 39 I being previously closed, the heated air passes through the pipes 29 and 30 to the pipes 4, thence across the bed of fuel previously placed in the coke-ovens 2,and the volatile hydrocarbons generated pass out through the pipes 3 to the pipe 5, thence by way of the pipes 7 to and through one of the stoves-say 11which is gradually heated by the hot gases thus passing from the coke-ovens. The valve 31 has been previously closed and the gas from the stove 11 passes by way of the pipes 9 and 15 to the steam-generator 16, the valve 1.4 having been also closed. More or less heat is imparted to the steam-generator 16 by the circulating gas, and the gas passes thence through the pipe 17 to the blower 18, and a' portion or all of this gas may be forced to repeat the circuit. As the process continues morehydrocarbon vapor is generated, and an amount approximately equal to that being generated may be drawn olf through the pipe 41 to a suitable receptaclesuch, for instance, as a holder 43. drawn ofi may be regulated by the valve 42. As the operation continues the stove 27 gradually cools by reason of the passage therethrough of the gas, which has delivered more or less of its heat to the stove 11 and the boilers 16 and 20. Meanwhile the stoves 12 and 26 may be heated by burning gas therein in the same through the respective chimneys 33 and 40,

and the valves 14 and 24, as already stated,

The proportion thus 1 are closed during this operation. When the process has continued so long that the stove 27 has cooled to such a degree that it does not impart sufficient heat to the circulating gas to economically continue the coking process, the direction of circulation caused by the blower 18 may be reversed either by reversing the direction of rotation of the blades or by means of any suitable controlling-valve 44, so that the circulation through the ovens will be in the opposite direction from that just considered. If desired, the stove 12 may have received a preliminary heating by the combustion of fuel not only during the time that the heat of the stove 27 was being imparted to the circulating gas, but also during the time that the stove 27 was originally heated. In practice it will be seen that by means of the four stoves each stove may be heated by the combustion of fuel during the time that two stoves are successively delivering their heat to the circulating gas. This usually afiords a more economical method of heating than is obtained by attempting to heat more rapidly, as would be required it the gas were heated during only the period that one stove was delivering up its heat. The stove 12 is cut into circuit by opening the valve 14 and the stove 11 is cut out of circuit by closing the valve 13. The new path for the circulating gas then is as follows: from the blower 18'through the pipes 48 and 17, boiler 16, pipes 15 and 10, stove 12, pipes 8, 5, and 3, the coke-ovens, thence through the pipes 4, 30, and 29 to the stove 27, thence through the pipes 23 and 21 to the boiler 20, thence through the pipes 19 and 47 back to the blower 18. The stove 27 usually remains in circuit during this step in the process and receives some heat from the vapors or gases as they pass out from the ovens 2. The circulation is continued in this direction and through this path until the stove 12 has cooled to such a degree that it is desirable to substitute another stovesuch, for instance, as the stove 26. When such substitution is made, the direction of circulation will be again reversed and the path of circulation will be substantially the same as that originally described except that the stoves 26 and 12 are in circuit instead of the stoves 27 and 11, respectively. Thus by successive heatings of the different stoves and successive reversals of the circulation a continuous operation of the coking process is maintained.

It will be observed that a large amount of the heat in the system is conserved by means of the boilers 16 and 20 and by causing the gas as it passes from the coking-ovens to enter one or the other of the stoves and deliver up more or less of its heat thereto. steam generated in the boilers 16 and 20 may be used for any desired purpose.

When all the stoves of the system are in operative condition, the direction of circulation may be reversed back and forth with IIO The

ally coking downward.

nearer frequency between the two stoves on opposite sides of the system--as,for instance,stoves 11 and 27-until their temperature is no longer sufficient to fcarry on the coking operation with sufficient energy,whereupon those stoves are cut out to be reheated, and stoves 12 and 26, which have meanwhile been thoroughly heated, are cut into the circuit and operated with frequent reversals between them, as above described, for the other pair of stoves 11 and 27. It is usually desirable that the periods of reversal shall be so frequent that the temperature at the cold ends of the stoves 11, 12, 26, and 27 shall not have time to become unduly heated, for it is desirable that the heat produced by the consumption of the fuel in the stoves shall be very largely absorbed by the stoves, and to do this it is necessary that the cold ends of the stoves-that is to say, the ends with which the chimneys are connected-shall be at a comparatively low temperature. If the runs were continued too long, the heat would be distributed throughout the stoves, and thus the cold ends would attain too high a temperature. By inserting the steam-generators 16 and 20 in the circuit between the stoves the vapors and gases passing from one stove to the other become cooled in passing, so that they enter the cold end of any given stove at a relatively low temperature and receive the temperature evenly as they pass through the heatingstove. The steam produced in the generators 16 and 20 may be utilized for any desired purposesuch, for instance, as operating the blower, charging and discharging apparatus, coal-crushing machinery, etc.

The rate at which the circulation is maintained may be regulated by means of the controllingvalve 44, which when entirely closed causes all of the gases or vapors to pass through the blower and when it is open a direct connection is made between the pipes 17 and 19, and between these limits any desired graduation may be obtained.

The amount of steam raised may be regulated from a certain minimum up to any amount desired, depending upon the length of time between the reversals, for it is apparent that the longer a run in a given direction the hotter will become the cold end of the stove, and therefore the greater will be the amount of heat passed to the steam-generators.

I have found it advantageous in manufacturing coke to pass the heated gases across the top of the bed of coal or coke, thus grad n- This produces a firm pure quality of coke especially useful in metallurgical processes. I desire to have it understood, however, that in some cases the general process may be applied to the manufacture of coke in which the heated gases are passed through the body of coke.

The method involved in the use of this apparatus is not claimed herein, but forms the subject of an application, Serial No. 13,708,

filed April El, 1900, of which this application is a division.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination of one or more coking-- ovens, means for passing a heated fluid-carrier through the coking-ovens, means for cooling the fluid-carrier as it passes from the coking-ovens and means for reheating a regula ble amount of the fluid-carrier for retransmission therethrough.

2. The combination of one or more cokingovens, means for passing a heated fluid-carrier through the coking-ovens, means for cooling the fluid-carrier as it passes from the coking-ovens, means for reheating a regulable amount thereof for retransmission therethrough and a gas-holder for receiving a portion of the fluid-carrier not so transmitted.

3. The combination of one or more coking ovens, two sets of two or more stoves, one set being adapted to be connected with one side f the coking-ovens and the other set with the other side, means for causinga circulation of air or gas through either stove of one set into the coking-ovens and from the coking-ovens through either stove of the other set and vice versa.

4:. The combination of one or more cokingovens, two sets of two or more stoves, one set being adapted to be connected with one side of the coking-ovens and the other set with the other side, means for causing a circulation of air or gas through either stove of one set into the coking ovens and from the coking-ovens through either stove of the other set and vice versa, and one or more boilers or economizers connected in the circulating-path of the air or gas.

5. The combination of one or more cokingovens, two sets of two or more stoves, one set being adapted to be connected with one side of the coking-ovens and the other set with the other side, means for causing a circulation of air or gas through either stove of one set into the coking-ovens and from the coking-ovens through either stove of the other set and vice versa, and means for withdrawing from the system a regulableamount of the gas generated in the coking-ovens;

6. The combination of a plurality of coking ovens, means for connecting them in parallel, means for causing a circulation of air or gas therethrough in alternate directions at will and means for heating the air or gas delivered thereto and for abstracting heat from the air or gas-issuing therefrom.

7. The combination of a plurality of cokingovens, means for connecting them in parallel, means for causing a circulation of air or gas therethrough in alternate directions at will, means for heating the air or gas delivered thereto and for abstracting heat from the air or gas issuing therefrom, exterior connections between the respective sides of the coking-ovens and means for causing circulation through such exterior connections in alternate directions.

Ito

8. The combination with a coking-oven, of alternately in opposite directions through the a symmetrical system of heating and cooling system. devices on opposite sides thereof and means Signed at Pittsburg, in the county of Allefor utilizing the systems alternately for heatgheny and State of Pennsylvania, this 7th day 5 ing and for cooling purposes substantially as of March, A. D. 1901.

described. 7

9. A coking system provided with suitable WILLIAM JOHN IXNOX' stoves and boilers symmetrically disposed Witnesses: upon opposite sides of a coking-oven, in com- R. J. BRATTON,

IO bination with means for circulating air or gas CHAS. F. MILLER. 

